On Friday 6 and Saturday 7 April, First Community Audiology Team is setting up a pop-up shop to raise awareness of links between dementia and hearing loss. The team will also be giving advice on access and quality of NHS hearing aids, as well as some health prevention in the form of free noise plugs and basic guidance on tinnitus.

The pop up shop will be located in Swan Walk, opposite Le Bruch and the first floor of Wilko’s. The team will provide free hearing screening to anyone who drops in. There will also be equipment to show visitors what the inside of their own ear looks like.

Statistics on hearing loss:

11 million people in the UK have a form of hearing loss, which is approximately 1 in every 6 people

Over the age of 70, 71 % of this group will have hearing loss

169,000 residents of West Sussex have a known hearing loss

1 in 10 adults have tinnitus

By 2035 it is predicted that 15.6 million people in the UK will have hearing loss. That’s an increase of 4.6 million people in an 18 year period.